


A Promise and A Secret

by chipofftheoldblock



Series: Like Real People Do [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Multiple Pov, not sure how good this is tbh, probably should have just stuck to Clark's POV, too late now I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 15:59:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11188506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chipofftheoldblock/pseuds/chipofftheoldblock
Summary: “I was just thinking – it might be a bit of a shock for everyone else. I mean – imagine having to tell the League that Batman and Superman are – whatever this is.” Clark snorted. “I think we should keep things to ourselves until we work this out properly.”All Clark and Bruce want to do is keep their relationship a secret. Unfortunately, there are more people snooping around in their lives than they’d like.





	A Promise and A Secret

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first real try at different POVs like this, so hopefully you all like it.
> 
> Picks up directly from where _Sunlight and Cicadas_ left off, so you should probably read that first.

“I don’t think we should tell anyone about this.” Bruce said, as the morning sun rose higher in the sky.

Clark tilted his head up to look at him, swallowing nervously. “Is that – because you regret this?”

Clark knew he didn’t. Bruce was – everything he’d ever wanted, really. Bruce was the only person who knew him inside and out, and he’d like to think it was the same the other way around. Unfortunately, that also meant he knew Bruce hardly ever said or did things without thinking them through first, and if he was saying they shouldn’t say anything, well – it worried him.

“No, Clark, you dumbass.” The smile on Bruce’s face was breath of fresh air. “I was just thinking – it might be a bit of a shock for everyone else. I mean – imagine having to tell the League that Batman and Superman are – whatever this is.” Clark snorted. “I think we should keep things to ourselves until we work this out properly.”

Clark considered for a moment. “Alright. But not for long. I know you love secrets, but I don’t.”

“I promise.” Bruce said, leaning down to kiss Clark. “Not for long.”

\---

Of course, things are always far more complicated than simple promises made in bed.

* * *

Clark had always been terrible at keeping secrets from his mother. He didn’t know it, of course. But Martha could tell when he was hiding something. And it wasn’t hard to guess what it was, the next time Bruce visited.

She knew Clark was in love with Bruce. It was written in the way he moved, the way his body turned towards Bruce without even knowing, the way his eyes softened and lips caught up and whole body relaxed. It took a special kinda love for that – like her and Jonathan’d had.

And Bruce – well, he’d always been harder to read, that poor boy – but far as she could tell, he loved Clark too. Smiled a little more when Clark was in the room, sometimes even laughed. It was nice.

Everybody needed a little light in their lives, even Batman.

The two boys didn’t say anything about it, though, and so she left well enough alone, let them find their own way. They’d tell her when they were ready, she knew.

That night, she said goodnight to the boys, let them go upstairs to separate bedrooms. And if, in the middle of the night, she heard two windows open – well, that’d be none of her business.

\---

“This might actually work. If we can hide this from your mother, we can hide it from anyone.” Bruce mused that night into Clark’s neck.

“I don’t know, Bruce, it might be even easier to hide if you hadn’t grabbed my ass while we were washing the dishes.” Clark hissed, but there was no real heat behind his words.

He’d yelped in surprise, loudly, and his ma had stuck her head into the kitchen to check everything was alright. He’d had to stammer out some stupid excuse about the dish water being hotter than he’d expected – which was dumb, because it wasn’t like it could hurt him and she knew that – while Bruce had stood with a smirk beside him.

“Hmm.” Bruce said, lips moving down Clark’s neck to his collarbone. “I’ll take that under consideration.”

* * *

Dick was not a police detective just because he’d woken up one day and felt like it. He was a police detective because he liked mysteries, and he liked solving them. And he liked helping people.

Bruce was acting weird, at the moment. Maybe this was a chance for him to do all three.

But he couldn’t tell Bruce he was trying to work out what was going on with him. Bruce would do that thing where he immediately emotionally shut down and gave the Batglare™, and that was not what Dick was wanting. Dick wanted answers. Where better to start asking than Bruce’s best friend?

“Clark Kent, Daily Planet.” Dick wanted to roll his eyes. Only Clark could sound so completely meek and mild over the phone.

“Hey, Clark.”

“Oh, hey Dick.” Dick could hear the smile from the other side of the phone. “Is everything going okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Everything’s great. This is – about Bruce.”

Rustling from the other end. Clark was moving – somewhere more private, probably. His next words were weirdly guarded. “What about Bruce?”

“He’s been acting weird the last few weeks. I mean, two days ago he actually smiled wide enough to show teeth _just because he was happy_.”

A huff of laughter from the other end of the line. “Dick, I’m sure Bruce is fine.” Was that – relief, mixed in with Clark’s words?

“Clark. I don’t think you’re listening to me. Bruce doesn’t smile.” Dick collapsed into his chair heavily, kicking up his feet. “Have you noticed anything, like, off about him? Is there anything that’s changed in the League?”

“I think you’re reading way too much into this. Maybe Bruce is just – happy.”

“Have you even met him? C’mon, you spend the most time with him out of anyone. Is there anything – oh my god, has Bruce met a girl?”

A snort from Clark, now. “Believe me, Dick, when I say Bruce had definitely _not_ met a girl. Look, I have to go, but Bruce is fine. Really. I think he’s just happier at the moment.”

“Uh huh.” Totally unconvinced. “See you later, Clark.”

“Bye, Dick.”

\---

“So Dick called and asked me why you’ve seemed happier recently.”

“Uh huh.” Bruce seemed to be fully engrossed in whatever he was doing on the Batcomputer, but Clark knew him well enough to know he was paying attention.

“Then he asked if you’d met a girl.”

The typing stopped. Bruce stilled. “What did you tell him?”

“I told him the truth – that you hadn’t met a girl. I think it was enough to put him off for now, but – we’re going to have to tell him sooner or later. Tell everyone.” Clark stepped forward, resting his arms on the back of Bruce’s chair and his chin on his shoulder.

The typing started again. “I know, Clark.”

But Clark thought that maybe, just maybe, he didn’t.

* * *

_Bzzzt. Bzzzt._

Lois glanced up with a frown as Clark scrabbled from his phone, flushing and clearing the text message.

“Got a girlfriend?” She teased.

Clark shook his head, cheeks still red. “No.”

“A boyfriend?” She was Clark’s best friend, outside of Batman (whoever the hell he actually was), and it wasn’t like she was blind. Clark had never been very good at hiding things from her – even his struggle with his sexuality.

He just flushed redder, and she cackled.

“So who’s Clark Kent’s mystery man?”

He shook his head, eyes firmly on his computer.

“I’m an investigative journalist, Clark. I find things out.” She jabbed a pen threateningly his way. “I will find out.”

Clark smiled faintly – suspiciously, she thought – through the red in his cheeks. “Okay, Lois.”

“Kent! Someone here to see you!” A knock at the workroom door, and Lois turned to see Bruce Wayne himself lounging in the doorway as though he owned the place – well, he did. But all the same.

“Mr Cant?” Wayne tried, and god though he was attractive Lois could see straight away that he had nothing that mattered behind his eyes, just old money and influence and that dumb, beautiful smile.

Wait – why was he here – no way, Clark wouldn’t –

“It’s Kent, sir. Thank you for making it, Mr Wayne.” Clark stood to shake Wayne’s hand, and Wayne smiled even more brightly.

“You’re writing a story about me – how could I not?”

Lois let out a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding. Of _course_ Clark wasn’t dating Bruce Wayne, that’d be ridiculous. He had better taste than that – God, he’d be better suited with Batman.

“I was hoping we could talk somewhere more private, Mr Wayne? One of the interview rooms, maybe?”

“Mhm, I would love to have a private interview with you.”

No, Batman would be even more ridiculous than Bruce Wayne. What was Batman even attracted to? Vengeance or something.

“Hey, Lo? Can you make sure no one disturbs us? This is a really important interview.” Lois nodded, attention on her computer as she waved Clark away. Okay, so Clark wasn’t dating Batman or Bruce Wayne. Only 3.5 billion other men to sort through.

\---

“There’s no way – no way Lois is actually that oblivious.” Bruce panted against Clark’s skin five minutes later.

“Right now, she’s – typing at her computer. If she thought there was anything going on – _Christ, Bruce_ – she’d be outside the door.” Clark caught Bruce’s lips in a searing kiss, burnt the doubt out of him. “We’re all alone.”

* * *

“Hey – have you guys noticed anything weird about Batman recently?”

Wally shoved another handful of fries into his mouth, glancing around the table expectantly. Blank faces looked back – Diana, Hal, Ollie, J’onn, Dinah.

“Batman is weird, Wally.” Dinah said, nonplussed.

Wally waved a hand. “Yeah, I know, but like –“ He swallowed “- weirder than usual?” More blank stares. He let out a sigh. “I mean, I haven’t either, but Nightwing mentioned that he’d seemed kinda off recently, and asked if I could, like, scope him out at work.”

In unison, all six of them turned to look at Batman, sitting at a table in the corner on the other side of the room. He was alone, working on something on a tablet, and not eating. Nothing unusual there.

“Why don’t you just ask Supes?” Hal suggested, pinching a fry. “He’d know if something was up with Batman.”

“What are you asking me?” Wally’s head snapped around in a guilty blur to see Superman himself standing behind him, a tray of food in his hands and a smile on his face.

“Uh – Nightwing thinks there’s something weird with Batman.” He said, feeling for some reason like he shouldn’t be involving Superman in this. “You noticed anything, Big Blue?”

Superman glanced over at Batman, expression flickering for an instant to a frown, then to this weird expression of resigned fondness, and finally settling back into his usual smile. “Batman’s fine, Wally. Tell Nightwing that, okay?”

With that, Superman headed over to sit down across from Batman, starting up a mostly one-sided conversation punctuated by Batman occasionally gracing him with a one word response. Everyone else at the table went back to their food, except Wally. He was still watching Batman and Superman, thinking about that look of fondness. And when he glanced back to Diana, Diana with a strange knowing smile on her lips, he knew she was thinking about it too.

\---

“Dick asked Wally to see if you were being strange at the Watchtower.”

“Uh-huh.” Bruce sounded decidedly unimpressed.

“I’d tell you that you should talk to him about privacy, but you have the world’s weirdest family anyway and I don’t think your kids understand these things.”

Bruce snorted.

“Bruce. Bruce.” Bruce made an affirmative noise, but Clark knew him well enough to know it was the noise he made when he wasn’t really paying attention. “Bruce, seriously.”

Somehow, Clark knew he wouldn’t look nearly as intimidating as Bruce did if he tried the whole spinning in a wheely chair. Hell, he didn’t think that anyone else in the universe could. The wheely chair was the single most unfrightening thing imaginable, but somehow Bruce pulled it off. Bruce blinked once, slowly, giving every appearance of wanting to just get back to his work. “What?”

“I want to tell everyone.”

“Tell everyone what?”

“Please don’t be obtuse, Bruce. You know what I mean.”

Bruce let out a soft sigh, closing his eyes briefly. “Why?”

“Bruce – look.” Clark knelt down in front of him, taking his hands. “I know why you’re doing this – pushing it back, telling me we need to keep it secret.”

Bruce said nothing, so Clark kept going. “I get that – change is scary. And that if we tell people, this will become real suddenly and things will change and that scares you. God knows it scares me too, but – we have people in our lives who deserve to know about us. People who’ll be happy for us. It’s not fair to keep them in the dark.”

Bruce surveyed him expressionlessly. “You plead a convincing case.” He said finally. Clark grinned, leaning in close to Bruce and kissing him. On Bruce’s lips, he could taste a smile back.

* * *

The two boys looked so nervous sitting across the table from her, Clark in that ridiculous old sweater of his and Bruce dressed so proper in his suit and tie.

“Ma, we have something we need to tell you.” Clark spoke the words so carefully, and Martha just smiled gently at him.

“Hon, believe me, you can tell me anything.” She reached across the table and covered his hands with one of her own.

“I know, Ma, but this is big, and I don’t know how you’ll feel about it –“ He kept stealing glances at Bruce, looking as nervous as he had been when he was 15 and had to tell her he’d broken the tractor, and Martha felt her heart melt.

“Clark, if you’re trying to tell me about you and Bruce, then it’s okay. I know.”

A moment, then –

“What.” Clark said. Even Bruce looked a little taken aback, which was nice. She liked to surprise her boys every so often.

“Clark Joseph Kent. Out in the big wide world you might be Superman, but under this roof you are still my son, and I know my son. And I know when he’s in love with someone.” She gave the two boys a smile. “I’m happy for you two.”

She gave Clark’s hand a squeeze, then stood. “Now, I’m going to go get dinner started. You two are welcome to finish the pretence and move all your bags into one room if you’d like.”

\---

‘Well.” Clark said, turning to look at Bruce.

“I don’t even know why I thought she didn’t know.” Bruce said with a serious frown, looking down at the table.

* * *

“No Jason?”

Dick shook his head. “Sorry, Bruce.”

Bruce sighed softly. “It’s okay. I’m sure he’ll find out soon enough anyway.”

This was really weird. Bruce had called pretty much everybody in the house to the dining room for a ‘family meeting’, which was something they _never_ had (well, they had meetings in the Batcave, but this was definitely different). And he was being really cagey about the whole thing, and Clark was here too, which was weird.

“You’re all no doubt wondering why we’re all here.”

“Waiting in agony for an answer, Master Bruce.”

Bruce shot Alfred a glare before continuing. “I’ve been told that I’ve been acting – strangely – the last few weeks.”

Oh, thank god it was about that. Dick had been at his wit’s end trying to figure out what the hell was going on with Bruce. And that was probably why Clark was here, right? Moral support?

“Clark and I are pleased to announce that we’re dating. Have been, for a few weeks now.”

Dick’s brain stopped.

“Holy shit.” Tim said.

“Tt.” Damian made a dismissive sound.

“So many people owe me money right now,” Tim continued, “Hold on, I have to go call Kon – and Jason-“

“Huh.” Dick said, finally. “So, it really wasn’t a girl.”

“No.” Bruce said.

“It was a guy.”

“Yes.”

“Superman, in fact.”

“That is correct.”

“So… Superman’s basically my stepdad?” Dick grinned.

Damian stepped up to Clark, eyeing him up and down in a move terrifyingly reminiscent of Bruce. “I suppose you’re adequate enough for Father.” He said, finally. “I do, however, know where the vault of Kryptonite is should you hurt him.”

\---

“Damian scares me sometimes.” Clark said, later. “Honestly, he reminds me of you.”

Bruce smiled slightly. “He means well. And he cares, even if he doesn’t know how to show it.”

“And are we just not going to talk about the fact that Tim made 150 bucks off of this?”

Bruce snorted, smiled over at Clark. “I think you should be more worried that Conner, who I might add is a clone of you, got taken for $100 by my son.”

“Are you suggesting that I’m an idiot?” Clark tried to sound irritated but failed completely, a smile on his face.

“Hadn’t even crossed my mind.”

* * *

“…and now, in local news, Gotham billionaire Bruce Wayne has been spotted out and about with a new man on his arm.”

Lois snorted, turning to look at the TV playing in the background of the workroom. “Are you seeing this, Clark? Your friend Wayne has a new story about him –“

Holy shit. The reporter kept talking, but Lois wasn’t listening.

It was Clark. Clark onscreen.

Clark holding Bruce’s hand with a smile.

Lois spun slowly in her wheely chair back to face Clark, who had a dumb sheepish grin on his face. “Oh – oh my god!” She lobbed a pen at him, which he expertly dodged. “I can’t believe you – you’re dating Bruce Wayne, and you didn’t tell me – Clark!”

What the hell did he see in him anyway? Wayne was rich, sure, but Clark didn’t care about that sort of thing. There had to be something that appealed there.

“Oh my god, does he know that you’re – you know –“

A knock at the workroom door. Lois turned to find, again, Bruce Wayne. She’d say he always seemed to be here, but, well, now she knew why.

“Are we still on for lunch?” Wayne said, a smile plastered on his face, but somehow the smile was a little less fake this time.

“Of course, Bruce.” Clark stood, gathering his coat, but not before Lois could get in first.

“Hi. Lois Lane, I work with Clark.” She shook Wayne’s hand, and – the handshake was surprisingly solid?

“It’s a pleasure. I’ve heard good things about you, Miss Lane.” This time, there was something else behind Wayne’s eyes. Behind the money and the influence and the dumb, beautiful smile (stuff that Lois was beginning to think was all just a cover), Bruce Wayne was something more.

Maybe Clark hadn’t made a dumb decision after all.

“Have a nice lunch, Clark.” She said with a smile, sitting back down.

Maybe Clark was going to be alright.

\---

“You did that well.” Clark said over lunch.

“What was I supposed to say?” Bruce gestured wildly with a fork. “Nice to meet you again, Lois, by the way this isn’t actually the first time we’ve met because I’m secretly Batman?”

* * *

Wally shook his leg under the table impatiently – and because this was him and he was fast, the shaking made an irritating noise close enough to a loud AC unit that Hal shot him an annoyed glance from the other side of the table.

He stopped his leg moving, crossing his arms and forcing himself to pay attention to the League meeting. Batman was talking about some expansion they were looking into for the Watchtower – thrilling, probably, or at least it would be if it wasn’t being added on at the end of a three-hour meeting.

“That’s everything I wanted to cover. Any questions?” Batman glanced around the room, and Wally straightened in his seat. Nearly there. “Alright, dismissed. Superman, can I speak to you for a moment?”

Though Wally was the first to the door, the way Batman said it made him turn back just in time to see them kiss. In front of the entire League.

Batman. Kissed. Superman.

For the first time in his life, Wally couldn’t find words.

Then –

“Oh my god, I have to call Nightwing.”

He glanced back at the two – still kissing, _holy shit, the entire League was watching them did they even care_ – before deciding that calling Nightwing was probably something done away from Batman and any sharp weapons he might have on his person.

In the blink of an eye he was on the other side of the Watchtower, fumbling through his phone and finally hitting the right number.

“Hey Wally, what’s up?”

“Dude – dude – you’re never going to believe this – you asked me to keep an eye on Batman for anything weird and he just – him and Superman-“

“Wally, slow down.”

“Batman just kissed Superman. Like, in front of the whole League.” Wally ran a hand through his hair, pacing in front of the large window looking out into space.

“Oh, god. Yeah, I know about that. It’s really gross.”

Wally stopped, frowned. “I mean, just because they’re two guys – I would have thought you’d be the last person to care about that –“

“Oh no, it’s not that. They’re just – so in love, it’s disgusting. I go home to visit and they’re staring lovingly into each other eyes across the dining table and I just want to throw up, you know?”

Wally honestly couldn’t imagine Batman staring lovingly into anyone’s eyes, least of all Superman.

\---

“In front of the League?”

“You said you wanted to tell people. This was easier than talking to them.”

“Everything’s easier than talking to people for you, Bruce.”

* * *

In the end, it all worked out. It was always nice when that happened, Clark thought. Somehow, through some bizarre twist of fate, he’d ended up in love with Bruce Wayne, and Bruce loved him back, and now he was sitting on a couch in Wayne Manor with Bruce’s head on his lap, watching a movie.

“Tim, can you turn the volume up please?” Clark carded a hand idly through Bruce’s hair, leaning back comfortably and smiling down at Bruce.

“What?” Bruce asked, blue eyes looking up at him.

“Nothing.” Clark said, leaning down to kiss him with a smile.

\---

Often, things are far more complicated than simple promises made in bed. But sometimes, they’re much, much easier.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I'm not all that impressed by this - I guess it was kinda a way to explore the characters around them? I'd rather have just not done it, except I had some good ideas for it and I really wanted that bit with Tim winning bets over Bruce and Clark dating. The series should look up in the future, hopefully - I'll be sticking to either Clark or Bruce's POVs from now on, so I should get a little more poetic writing in like the first fic.


End file.
